Grand Rapids area apple maturity report – August 28, 2025
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EmailEarly apple varieties are being harvested this week in the Grand Rapids region. Cooler nighttime temperatures will enhance red color development.
Apple maturity testing will occur weekly for the Grand Rapids, Michigan, region beginning now through the end of harvest. Reports will be sent out every week, following the Michigan State University Extension fruit team apple maturity calls on Wednesday mornings.
In the Grand Rapids region, early apple varieties of Zestar, Wildfire Gala and Premier Honeycrisp are being harvested this week. Honeycrisp, Gala and McIntosh are still immature.
Weather over the past few days has been cooler with low temperatures dipping down into the 40s and 50s and highs in the 60s and 70s across the region. Day and nighttime temperatures will gradually increase through the week and into the weekend with highs in the upper 70s and low temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Some rain is expected Aug. 27 and 28. Conditions are expected to be dry the rest of the week.
Expect moderate conditions going into next week with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s and 50s. Cool nighttime temperatures will enhance red color development, which is needed, especially for early apple varieties.
How to read maturity tables
Each week, an apple maturity report will be provided and will include average values for several apple samples for varieties nearing maturity. Maximum and minimum values are included in tables below for the highest and lowest individual fruits evaluated for each to give a full spectrum of maturity. All samples included in the reports have been untreated with ReTain or Harvista, unless otherwise noted. Samples were collected from three locations in Kent County.
For more information about apple maturity testing, review these resources compiled by the MSU Extension tree fruit team.
- Predicted apple harvest dates for 2024 from MSU.
- More information on harvest management tools and timings can be found in this article.
- Guidelines from MSU to check for apple maturity in your own orchard, including specific pressure and starch recommendations by variety.
- New starch charts for evaluating apple maturity in Michigan from Michigan State University
- Predicting apple maturity and starch chart from Cornell University.
- Starch chart for Honeycrisp Apples developed by Washington State University.
Maturity information for the Grand Rapids region
Honeycrisp
Fruit were sampled from three locations on Aug. 26 in Sparta, Michigan. Red color development was an average of 40%. Background color is green. Starch rating is 1.8. For Honeycrisp, the starch rating to indicate maturity is 3.5. Pressure is an average of 16.2 lbs. Brix 10.3 on average.
A note about Honeycrisp: Wait for acceptable varietal flavor and color to develop before picking. Picking fruit and getting it into the market early seems like an edge but will hurt repeat sales of this strain and standard Honeycrisp.
Bitter pit development on fruit has been observed in some locations. Fruit that are high risk or are more susceptible to bitter pit development may be in blocks with younger trees, high-risk rootstocks, high-vigor trees or low crop loads. Large fruit are also more susceptible to bitter pit development than small fruit. High bitter pit-risk fruit should be cooled quickly to the recommended 38 degrees Fahrenheit storage temperature, as conditioning will exacerbate bitter pit. High risk fruit should be marketed as soon as possible. Fruit intended for longer storage should be pre-conditioned, with recommended conditions of 50 F (room temperature) for five to seven days.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aug 26 |
380 (448-298) |
40 (85-0) |
4.4 (5-3) |
16.2 (18.4-13.3) |
1.8 (6-1) |
10.3 (10.8-9.5) |
McIntosh
Fruit were harvested from one location in Sparta. Red color is 64% on average, and background color is still green. Average firmness is at 16.7 pounds. Recommended pressure for long-term controlled atmosphere (CA) is 16 pounds. Fruit is still immature at starch rating of 2.1. McIntosh are mature at a starch test of 5. Sugar levels at Brix of 10.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aug 26 |
311 |
64 (85-50) |
5 (5-5 |
16.7 (17.8-15.9) |
2.1 (3-1) |
10 |
*Average values are reported for a sample at one orchard site.
Gala
Gala fruit were sampled from three locations in Sparta this week. Red color is 79.9% and background color is light green. Fruit firmness is at 20.4 pounds of pressure. Starch is at 1.8, and sugars are at 10.2 Brix.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aug 26 |
311 (330-290) |
79.9 (99-40) |
2.75 (4-1) |
20.4 (22.6-16.9) |
1.8 (4-1) |
10.2 (10.7-9.6) |
Apple maturity sampling parameters
- Color % = the visual percentage of red color from 0 to 100; range is of all fruits tested. Indicates surface area covered in red and intensity of red color.
- Background color: 5 = Green, 1 = Yellow; range is of all fruits tested.
- Firmness in pounds pressure = measured with a Güss Fruit Texture Analyzer; range is of all fruits tested.
- Starch For Honeycrisp: will typically be rated using the standard Michigan State University starch scale (1-8). However, a separate starch chart for Honeycrisp Apples developed by Washington State University (scale 1-6) also exists.
- Brix = % sugar measured with Atago PAL-1 Pocket Refractometer
Looking for more? View Michigan State University Extension’s Apple page for regional reports throughout the state and additional resources.
|
Suggested firmness and starch index levels for long-term and shorter-term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage by variety. |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Variety |
Firmness (pounds)* |
Starch Index* |
|||
|
Short CA |
Mid-CA |
Long CA |
Mature |
Over mature |
|
|
McIntosh |
14 |
15 |
16 |
5 |
7 |
|
Gala |
16 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
6 |
|
Honeycrisp |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3.5 |
6 |
|
Empire |
14 |
15 |
16 |
3.5 |
6 |
|
Early Fuji |
16 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
7 |
|
Jonagold |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3.5 |
5.5 |
|
Jonathan |
14 |
15 |
16 |
3.5 |
5.5 |
|
Golden Delicious |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3 |
6.5 |
|
Red Delicious |
16 |
17 |
18 |
2.5 |
6 |
|
Idared |
14 |
15 |
16 |
3.5 |
6 |
|
Fuji |
16 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
7 |
|
Rome |
15 |
16 |
18 |
3 |
5.5 |
|
Brix Guide |
Low |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
|
All varieties |
Less than 11 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
Honeycrisp |
Less than 12 |
12 |
12 |
Greater than 14 |
